Each case is tried on its particular facts and circumstances and the verdicts and/or settlements vary. The reader should not anticipate that he/she will have the same or similar results as each case is evaluated on its particular facts including the credibility of parties and corroboration of other witnesses.
Pierce County Superior Court, Tacoma, WA.
Case: Sexual Harassment, Retaliation, Hostile Work Environment
Outcome: $450,000.00 inclusive of all attorney fees and costs
Description: Plaintiff worked at Western State Hospital for over 29 years. She repeatedly sought promotional advances for positions for which she was well qualified and was denied the promotion, even though she was continuously asked to train the successful recipient. She was harassed on the basis of her race, gender, age, and retaliation. The acts of the defendants created a hostile working environment and caused her emotional and physical damages. Plaintiff was retaliated against for reporting the harassment.
Experts: Laura Brown, PH.D for Plaintiff and Russell Vandenbelt, PH.D.
United States District Court for The Western District of WA. at Tacoma
Case: Male Sexual Harassment, Religion Discrimination Latter Day Saints (LDS), Hostile Work Environment, Retaliation.
Outcome: $800,000 Jury Verdict ($500,000 for sexual harassment and $300,000 for TITLE VII cap; plus six figures in costs and attorney fees
Description: Plaintiff Corliss worked as a boat salesman until he was terminated. Corliss asserts that he was a victim of sexual harassment . He was shown and told to watch a rape scene from the movie ‘Deliverance” as part of his orientation. It was suggested by his manager that if he did not sell enough boats, he could possibly be raped and subjected to the treatment as the rape victims in the movie. His immediate supervisor repeatedly subjected him to various sexual requests. Corliss was also ridiculed by management and co-workers for being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints (LDS) and subjected to jokes about his underwear and religious practices.
Robert Larson, Jr (son and corporate officer) of the then owner, testified that since age 16 he participated in an activity where objects were thrown at the groins of male management employees. Witnesses corroborated Plaintiff’s allegations.
All defendants admitted that cursing at the workplace was common. The jury found that the acts of the defendants constituted sexual harassment, religious discrimination, retaliation and a hostile working environment. At the time, Robert Larson Automotive Group grossed over $64,000,000 a year at the time of trial.
LA County Superior Court
Case: Discrimination
Outcome: Undisclosed Amount Settlement
Description: Janet Hubert Whiten played Aunt Vivian on The Fresh Prince of Belair with Will Smith. She alleged pregnancy discrimination and wrongful termination when she was replaced by Daphne Maxwell Reid. The matter was settled for an undisclosed amount.
United States Western District of WA
Case: Race, National Origin Discrimination and Sexual Harassment
Outcome: Approximately $1,800,000 to Plaintiffs with $750,000 was set aside for future potential claims.
Description: Current and former Afro Americans supervisors and managers who intervened in the EEOC’s suit, initially filed by Plaintiff’s lawyers brought charges of race and sex discrimination, sexual harassment and a hostile work environment. Racial epithets were pervasive in the workplace and often on the dealership intercom heard by the public At that time, Robert Larson Automotive Group was the third largest dealership in Washington State.
Charges: Included racial offensive epithets, hostile work environment, was perpetrated by the owner characterizing customers and employees in derogatory and demeaning ways.
Pierce County Superior Court
Case: Sex & Racial Discrimination, Hostile Work Environment
Outcome: Plaintiff, Joseph Alonso, was awarded $280,000 by the Judge.
Description: Plaintiff who is Hispanic and a Veteran had been subjected to a hostile work environment, race discrimination, and retaliation by his supervisors (one of whom was a Hispanic male and the other a Caucasian female). Both supervisors failed to alleviate the hostile and racist work environment. In fact, his supervisors often participated in the derogatory banter. The matter was tried by a visiting judge because Plaintiff’s first attorney failed to request a jury. All other subsequent efforts to retain a jury were denied.
See Findings of Facts and Conclusions of Law.
Case: Personal Injury
Outcome: The Case Was Settled For $260,000.00.
Description: Ms. Margaret Jones is a 23-year Military Veteran, retired in-home care worker, Mother of two and Grandmother of two. She was injured as a passenger in her friend’s car when they were struck from behind by a commercial driver on I-5 in Tacoma, suffering damage to her neck and back and left arm. While Ms. Jones was preparing to retire, the pain and limitations of her injury forced her to take her retirement early and required her to get assistance around her home.
United States District Court for The Western District of WA. at Seattle
Case: Retaliation and Hostile Work Environment
Outcome: $674,292.54 Jury Verdict rendered
Description: Plaintiff was born and raised in Kenya and became a U.S. citizen in 1999. Plaintiff aspired to get a Masters degree with a focus on Construction Management. He spoke four languages fluently. During his employment he was discriminated against on the basis of his race and subjected to demeaning racial comments such as “money butter”; ‘Ebola” and constantly was subjected to chewing tobacco spat on his work as a concrete pourer and lunch. These acts were often performed in front of management who did not intervene or take corrective action to stop the harassment.
This case was decided on the sole credibility of Plaintiff and his union dispatcher who testified for less than 20 minutes. The defendants moved for a remitter seeking to reduce the verdict to $50,000. This motion was denied.
WA Pierce County Superior Court
Case: Sexual Harassment
Outcome: Case was settled for nearly $800,000.00
Description: Plaintiff, a 50 year old, Caucasian female, was sexually harassed by her supervisor, Barrett Green, African American President of the Washington State Employees Union. Twenty women testified that they too had been sexually harassed for over two decades. Corrective action had not been taken by WSH officials and the State.
CEO of Western State Hospital, was fired along with Barrett Green. Many state employees who were retired were fearful of retaliation being taken against their relatives who were current employees and initially were afraid to testify. Several other lawsuits followed with similar results as a result of the courage of Lizee. The retaliation was systemic up through the supervisor that the CEO reported to who was in collusion with an Union Representative. Lizee was stripped of her duties, placed in a hallway without support staff and ridiculed.
The working environment was extremely hostile. Over 18 women who were in either in supervisory roles or under Barrett Green’s management or to whom he reported testified that they had continuously reported Barrett Green’s offensive behaviors during his various ascension to promotion opportunities to no avail for decades. Each time and well over a decade their complaints were arbitrarily dismissed and, in some instances, they were reprimanded or demoted for reporting his egregious behavior. The upper echelon and management supported Barrett Green, particularly when he became union president of the Washington State Employees. Plainitff’s home was ransacked and her cats were killed. Threats were made against witnesses and a key expert was later sued by Barrett Green. Eventually, all of his Intimidation by filing frivolous appeals were dismissed. The CEO who failed to appear at trial later resigned only to take a position at another state hospital.
United States District Court
Case: Sexual Harassment and Hostile Work Environment
Outcome: Jury and attorney fee award of $610,000 (later reduced on appeal). Largest award at the time in the state for a single plaintiff who had been sexually harassed.
Description: Plaintiff worked for the bank and was told the only way she could get ahead was to sleep with management. Puget Sound National Bank was the third-largest bank in the state. It is now known as Key Bank.
See Denise Paty's Video Story
CA. LA County Superior Court
Case: Sexual Harassment
Outcome: Undisclosed Seven Figure Amount
Description: Ms. Grant represented three women, two of whom were African-American and one Caucasian, who were sexually harassed by their immediate supervisor and subjected to a hostile working environment by Barry Rand, CEO of Xerox Corporation. The overtures included unwanted sexual comments and advances at the workplace, as well as lavish parties with a sexual emphasis.
CA LA County Superior Court
Case: Sexual Harassment Retaliation and Hostile Work Environment
Outcome: This case settled for an undisclosed amount
Description: Plaintiff was a wardrobe costumer working for the actor, Fred Savage. She was in her early 30’s and Fred was 16 at the time and was one of the highest-paid actors, grossing $75,000 a week. Long claimed inappropriate sexual working environment. Her claim survived 12 demurrers from law firms such as Paul Hastings et al, Howard Weitzman, Esq., as there was sufficient evidence not to dismiss the case based upon sworn declarations.
This case illustrates that sexual harassment is about control and power over an employee and that the entertainment industry is not exempt from creating a hostile work environment for its employees.
Case: Violation Of The American Disability Act.
Outcome: The Case Was Settled For $175,000.
Description: Melissa Daniel is hearing impaired in both ears and suffered disparaging remarks from her employer and immediate supervisor. She was fired as a result of her disabilities in violation of the American Disability Act and the American with Disabilities Act Amendments. A lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Plaintiff and EEOC intervened.
